Summer may be approaching, but school’s not out…

Guidhall School of Music and Drama Summer School

Your summer holidays may already be booked, but what else do you have planned for the kids this year? Music summer school places are already being snapped up, with parents taking advantage of early bird offers to secure a spot. There’s a wide range out there, catering for varying levels of ability and affordability…

We may be barely into March, but many parents’ minds are already turning to the long summer holidays and what activities to plan for their children. For those that are musically minded, summer schools are increasingly popular for a variety of reasons. As class sizes are considerably smaller, teachers can dedicate more time to every student. Summer courses are also a great way to connect with other musicians and like-minded people, and can be brilliant for improving skills such as technique and performance, and inspiring productive practising.

There’s so much variety

The summer schools on offer vary depending on what kind of music your child wants to play. There’s a lot of choice out there, so it’s worth thinking about what your child wants to get out of doing a course and what it might lead to next.

There are courses out there for varying ages and levels of ability, but generally they are for children of older primary/secondary school age and most last around a week. Costs vary, depending on course length and whether it is residential. And they usually specify a minimum ability of Grade 4/5 upwards.

If you’re thinking of doing some research, below is a list of popular summer schools to get you started. This is by no means a comprehensive list, merely a starting point to give you an idea of the sheer range of courses to consider! All will come with a cost but bursaries are available for some of them so it’s worth checking if you are interested.